Can-opener.



G. W. JOHNSON.

GAN OPENER. APPLIOATION'FILED O0T.31, 1912 1,080,636. Patented Dec. 9,1913.

INVENTOR S, R ATTORNEY Wan-nu:

ononenw. JOHNSON, or OAKLAND, ciinrronnm.

CAN-OPENER.

Specification of Letters ratcnt.

Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

Application filed October 81, 1912. Serial No. 728,876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WALTER JOHNSON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCan-Openers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of a ma chine for opening cans ofhermeticallysealed goods, such as fruits, oysters, and vegetables, bycutting out the top of the can close to the securing bead thereof.

The object of my invention is to rovide sucha device whlch is adaptableor use with cans of various heights and diameters, which will quicklyand accurately cut out the head of a can, close to the edge thereof, sothat the entire contents may be quickly and completely removed from thecan, and one which will cut the head from the can in such fashion as toforce the metal remainin secured to the upper edge of the can bodydownwardly in contact with the inner face of the can body.

My invention consists in a turret head rotatably mounted on a supportingframe and provided with a plurality of circular cutting members ofdifferent diameters, a seat for receiving and engaging the lower end ofthe can to be cut, means for raising the can contained in its seattoward the cutting edge, and means for removing the can from the cuttingedge after the can head has been severed from the body.

With the above mentioned and other objects in view, the inventionconsists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinaftermore fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings andpointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Reference now being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein isdisclosed one form of my invention and in Which- Figure 1 is a frontelevation of my invention partly in section, disclosing the turret head,the can seat and the operating means therefor. Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional view disclosing the construction of the turret head and themanner of mounting the knives therein, and the can seat and the mannerof raising and lowering the same. Fig. 3 is a detail of a supplementarycan seat adapted for use in connection with short cans.

Referring more'particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral. 1designates a whlch are mounted a horizontally extending 6o shaft 4,which supports a hollow turret head 5 rotatably mounted thereon betweenthe upper ends of said arms 3. The turret head 5 is substantiallyrectangular in form and in the faces thereof are formed suitableoylindrical openings 6, each of a different diameter, and said openingscommunicate with the interior of the turret head. Surrounding eachopening is an annular flange 7 at the lower edge of which is provided anannular seat 8.

9 designates the head cut-ting knives, each of which consists of a stripof steel provided with saw like teeth 10 and 11, the teeth 11 beingslightly longer than the teeth 10, and said strips of steel are bentinto circular form, and are inserted in the openings 6 with the loweredges thereof resting on the seats 8, the knives being retained inposition by the frictional securing rings 12, and each knife is of adiameter equal to the inside diameter of a standard size can.

Mounted to reciprocate in the central bore 2 is a plunger 13 carrying atits upper end a semi-circular flanged portion 14, provided on its innersurface with semi-circular seats 15 of different diameters. each ofwhich is provided with an overhanging flange 16 and said seats are of adiameter corresponding to the diameter of certain of said knives 9, andit will be observed that when a can is positioned within one of saidseats that the overhanging flange 16 thereof will engage over the bottomend seam 17 of the can and retain the same in position.

The lower end of the plunger 13 is recessed, providing a flat seat 18which rests on a corresponding flat seat 19 formed on the inner end ofan oscillating shaft 20, mounted in a cylindrical bore 21, formed in thebase 1 and communicating with the bore 2, the outer end of said shaftbeing provided with an arm 22 terminatin at its upper end in a handle23, the sha 20 being retained in position by a set screw 24 whichprojects through an elongated opening 25 in the shaft 20. Asemi-circular recess 26 is formed in the lower portion of the plunger 13adjacent the seat 19, and in said re cess is adapted to operate a lug 27projecting '13 carrying a can, an

from the end of the shaft 20 and said lug" the edge of t e cut-out 26and will draw the lunger 13 downwardly, thus there is provided adoublecam movement, one raismg the plunger and the other drawing the samedownwardly.

The annular flanges 7 are provided on their peripheral edges withsuitable guide.

fingers 28 which properly present the upper end of the can to the lmife9. The turret is locked from movement relative to the shaft 4 with one.of the knives 9 in proper cuttin relation to the can head, by a lockandafter the ing pm 29 slidably mounted in a suitable bore in the upper endof one of the support ing arms 3, and the inner end of said pin isadapted to be inserted in recesses 30 formed in the turret and each ofsaid re cesses being so positioned as to properly position one of saidcutting knives relative to the can head when the end of the pin is'inserted in the recess. j

The plunger 13 is'provided in its center: with a recess 31 open at theupper end there-; of and said recess is adapted to receive astem of acan seat, disclosed in' full lines-- Fig. 3, and said supplementar canseat is employed only with short bo ied cans, to; properly position thetop thereof relative to one of said cutting knives.

In operation, the turret is rotated to prop-. erly position the knife,corresponding in; diameter tOZthe can head to be severed, the lower end.of the can is inserted in its proper. sized seat with the flangeassociated there-; with overhanging-the bottom flange of the can, thelever 22 is movedin the direction of the arrowwhich through itsassociated; parts will raise the can, and the top thereof; will beengaged first by the cutting teeth 11! points thereof have penetratedthecan top, t e points of the teeth 10 will engage and penetrate the top,and as the can is forced upwardly the entlre top there-v of will besevered from the body close to the inner surface of said body. The cannow having reached its highest point of movement, the head being severedtherefrom and the top of the can bod bein in close relation to the endof the ange the direction of movement of the lever is reversed and thelug 27 riding in the cam slot 26 will draw the can seat downwardl andthe can being engaged thereby will a so be drawn down wardly and the uper end thereof will be disenga ed from t e cutting knife.

is claimed as new and is desired to be-protected by Letters Patentis-- 1. In a can opener, the combination with a frame provided with apair of spaced ver tically extending arms, a movable can sup-' portcarried by said frame and provided with can seats of different diametersfor the reception of the cans to be opened, a

turret headrotatably carried between the upper ends of said arms,circular cuttin knives of diflerent diameters secured to sai head andadapted for severin the head from a can adjacent its eri eral. edge,means for retaining one o sald knives in operative position to the canhead to be severed, and an operating lever for moving said can supporttoward and from said turret head to force the cuttingknife carried bythe turret head into the can adjacent its peripheral ed es andcompletely sever the same from its ody.

2. In a can opener, the combination with a frame provided with a pairofparallel spaced vertically extending arms, a vertical movable cansupport carried by said frame between the lower ends of said arms, aplurality of can seats of different diameters formed in said base andeach provided with an overhanging flange for enga ement with the bottomflange of the can to he opened, a turret head. rotatably carried betweenthe upper ends of said arms, circular cutting knives of differentdiameters secured to said head and adapted for severing the head fromthe can adjacent its peripheral edge, means for retaining one of saldknives in operative relation to the can head to be severed,aleveractuated cam for raising said can support to force the top of thecan carried thereby into contact with one of said cuttingknives, saidknife completely severing the head from its body adjacent the peripheraledge thereof, and an independcan seats for engaging the bottom flangeof' a can to be opene a turret head rotatably carried between the upperends of said arms, circular cutting knives each of a different diameterdetachably secured to said head and adapted for severing the head from acan adjacent its peripheral edge, a pin associated with one of said armsand adapted to engage said turret head for retaining one of sald knivesin operative relation to the can head to be severed, and an operatinghandle for raising and lowering said can sup ort relative to saidpositioned cutting kni e.

In testimony whereof I have signed my -15 name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

N. A. AOKER, D. B. RICHARDS.

